In
a time when many Americans lack exposure to the Middle East, Rob
Landicho ‘08 has gained unique insight into a culture that is rarely
seen and often poorly understood.

For the fall of his junior year, Rob
decided to spend a semester in the Middle East conducting research,
taking classes, and practicing his Arabic language skills.

“The School of International Training
has study abroad opportunities in over a hundred countries,” said Rob.
“They set me up with a host family in Amman, Jordan.” For six months he
lived with his host Palestinian family while taking classes and
conducting field research on the foreign aid Jordan receives from the
United States. The program counted as 12 credit hours toward his major
in International Relations.

Previously Rob had enrolled in a
research seminar that was co-taught by professors Sue Peterson and
Michael Tierney. He built on that classroom experience by serving as a
research assistant for the student-faculty research project “Teaching
and Research on International Politics” (TRIP), which analyzes the
impact of IR research on U.S. foreign policy and on teaching practices
at colleges and universities.

Experience he gained there designing
surveys, gathering and coding data, and writing research papers
provided Rob with the foundation for his research in Jordan. “I stayed
in constant contact with my IR professors and bounced ideas off them
about my field research. They always helped me out,” said Rob.
However, while research at William and Mary meant late nights in Swem
Library and the application of statistical techniques to quantitative
evidence, field research in a developing country was a unique
experience.

With his research, Rob aimed to
evaluate the effectiveness of USAID and Millennium Challenge
Corporation aid programs intended to enhance Jordan’s infrastructure.
His program advisor, former Foreign Minister Jawad Anani, helped to
arrange interviews with Jordanian officials, staff members at the
American embassy and with American contractors who administer the aid
programs.

“Overall, the findings were
mixed. Many of the aid programs accomplished their goals, but others
were riddled with problems. Figuring out what makes aid effective is
really important in this case since Jordan receives more than $500
million a year in U.S. aid. A large part of my research focused on
problems of delegation, unintended consequences, and inefficiencies in
the aid programs.” Rob hopes to use the data he collected in Jordan as
the foundation for his honors thesis and to publish his findings in a
scholarly journal.

Along with his academic work, Rob was
able to experience local life in urban and rural settings. “My program
got me in touch with a Bedouin tribe, and they agreed to let me travel
with them and help herd sheep for two weeks. At first they didn’t know
how to deal with me. But when they realized I was going to work
alongside them, they were very open and friendly.”

Living in a tent with two Bedouin
men, traveling on camels, and herding and slaughtering sheep, Rob had
the opportunity to learn more deeply about local perspectives – and put
his W&M instruction in Arabic to use. “Bedouin herders rarely meet
American students, and they had plenty of questions about America,
especially American family life. They were very curious about how
American families were similar and different from their own.” In
addition to questions about family the Bedouin herders expressed some
interest in American policy in the region. “It was definitely
surprising to overhear some conversations about the U.S. role in Iraq,
and their concern about Israeli policy as well. By the end of the
trip, I was able to empathize with their experiences and their
political situation.”

“There’s a lot of information in the
media and scholarly literature about the conflicts, development, and
governments of countries in the Middle East. Once you actually
experience these situations firsthand, however, your deeper
understanding of the region can definitely improve your prospects for
doing good research. Plus, you have experiences that you’ll remember
for the rest of your life,” Rob said.

Rob’s experience in Jordan has given
him a leg up on future projects and career opportunities. Over the
summer of 2007 he will participate in the W&M intern program at the
U.S. Mission to the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Rob and four other
W&M students will be working there in various divisions, from
defense policy and post-conflict reconstruction to legal affairs. The
College’s NATO internship program is unique among U.S. colleges and
universities.

May 2008 update

Rob graduated with departmental Honors and
sends this news: "I'm pleased to let you know that I have received a
Fulbright research grant for Jordan for 2008-09. Currently, I'm in
Morocco leading the WM Choir and Chamber groups through a 20-day
singing tour, so I can't talk too long before this internet runs out.
Best from Tangier, Morocco!"